Modern buses, trams and trolleybuses, a public transport tracking system, display boards, new routes - this is how the service of Mariupol Tram-Trolleybus Administration has been changed for three years. This was told by the director of the enterprise Vitaly Donev at the 50th session of Mariupol City Council.
In particular, the park and the working conditions of MTTA in 2016 were not good. Only 30% of public transport ran through the city streets, 86% of them were in disrepair. The joint work of the municipality, business and international partners have produced the results. Now the utility company has 218 units of transport: 100 buses, 49 trolley buses and 69 trams. It currently employs 1,400 employees. Until the end of 2020, their number will increase to 1900.
‘On a working day, more than 180 thousand passengers use the company's services. Over 60 million a year. In 2019, transport work increased by 12% and the number of paid passengers increased by 9.4%. The average wage increased by 35%. Last year, we were able to resolve the issue of ‘personnel starvation’. Today, the company is systematically replenished with new staff. This will allow to improve the operation of MTTA on existing routes and open new ones in 2020,’ Vitaly Donev said.
The key to the development and reloading of municipal transport was the attraction of international investments in the amount of EUR 30.5 million from the International Finance Corporation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The funds were allocated for the purchase of 64 buses and 72 trolleybuses, reconstruction of the depot, contact network, necessary equipment and expansion of the transport management system. After the implementation of the projects, the MTTA fleet will have 263 units of transport. According to Vitaliy Donev, Mariupol has not seen such a massive replenishment of the park over the past 30 years.
This allows you to start new routes. Since 2016, six of them have appeared in the city. The result is improved communication between the districts and most importantly, municipal transport has become more accessible. MTTA will continue to increase the service.